Posted - November 07 2017 : 8:11:43 PM Did some recent horse trades & deals bought this today. Nylon butt cuff will be put on, got a affordable scope waiting on a mount and should be a handy rifle for Deer size game and free from evil black rifle haters. Dad has my older Marlin with the standard 20 inch barrel ( I think). Will start slowly buy ammo for this. I have another 3 years till Trump leaves office I figure.

25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)

LittleBill

Posted - November 19 2017 : 3:01:56 PM On a related note, I hesitated before buying mine, after hearing all the horror stories about terrible quality control right after Remington took over Marlin and moved production from CT to NY in 2010.

FWIW, the gun I bought seemed pretty much up to par with the two JM (pre-Remington) Marlins I own. The lever on the new one isn’t as well-finished, sharper edges make it harder on the hands. The older actions seem a bit smoother... but maybe just because they’ve had a chance to ‘wear in’.

I ended up springing for a Wild West Guns Big Loop Lever and Happy Trigger, but that was out of preference, not necessity. The Happy Trigger made a noticeable improvement, when ‘finances allow’ I plan on putting them in my two JMs.

BatteryOaksBilly

Posted - November 19 2017 : 12:52:27 PM Paid $441 OTD.

Ace

Posted - November 17 2017 : 09:51:39 AM Boys, beagles, and bunnies. The only thing better is to be there watching. Ace

LittleBill

Posted - November 17 2017 : 07:40:46 AM Pop Pop, I’ve seen the youth .30-30 going for a lot less, I paid around $450 for mine at a LGS. Buds Guns online has it for $444 shipped.

Pop Pop

Posted - November 17 2017 : 07:01:06 AM Academy Sports, Smyrna TN store, had a Marlin 45-70 for 689.00 yesterday. Their youth 30 30 was about the same price.

I went to the store to get my, soon to be, 9 year old grandson a "Realtree Extra" cammo coat, vest, trousers, and pull over hat. What he wanted for his birthday next week. Now his mama is looking for him a pair of wellington pull over leather boots. Kids clothes are higher than men's. His mom purchased him a pair of Lacrosse cammo rubber hunting boots back in the early fall. He will be rabbit hunting, with his neighbor and dad, week after next. They liven in South Carolina and his neighbor had about 300 acers they hunt rabbit, with beagles, and deer hunt on. He almost got a doe, last year, but forgot to take the safety off on his rifle, and the deer seen his dads movement and left.

Uncle Mike

Posted - November 16 2017 : 11:45:41 PM Hi, I just noticed that Hornady has their Leverevolution ammo in pistol calibers, including the .357 Magnum. I think where this ammo/bullet would shine is in a 45-70 or 30-30, but I'd like to see what it does in a .357. Since I saw an original 1873 Musket at the range; I've been "thirsting" for a Winchester. This thread is not helping, regards, Mike

BatteryOaksBilly

Posted - November 16 2017 : 6:24:27 PM Just picked mine up today. I really like the finish. It's not quite a "parkerized" finish but really close. Stock is the color of a "Lowe's" white pine stud. Perfect little rifle for the truck or Jeep. Running some 100 grain Raptors out of it at over 3,000 FPS.

Pop Pop

Posted - November 16 2017 : 11:36:17 AM The 357 carbine test, Uncle Mike posted from "The GunBlog" would support the use of the 158 grain bullet, that he tested, as use for deer, for sure, or "perhaps" Elk hunting. He got good speed (crono)and penetration in gelatin. Enough so for deer. Personally, I would want something heavier(caliber) for Elk. Would be interesting to see what some Garrett ammo would do in the 357 carbine.

LittleBill

Posted - November 14 2017 : 4:06:36 PM I guess the question with any particular pistol round fired out of a carbine is, ‘Is it being propelled past its ‘design envelope’— faster than the velocity range it was designed for’? And if so, what will the result be?

I’m guessing that with DPX and similar rounds, it would expand all the way— with its ‘petals’ opening up to 90 degrees— then the petals would ‘deflate’ backwards, as they continued to fold back, until they were lying flat against against the core— but not fragment.

?

Pop Pop

Posted - November 14 2017 : 2:53:08 PM U M, guy said the 16" brl really woke up the 357 round. Interesting. Wonder what DPX would do out of the 16" carbine? Don't have gel, but plan to compare DPX in Water jugs soon. DPX Works great, and penetrates well out of my 2" and 4" revolvers.

Uncle Mike

Posted - November 14 2017 : 09:23:29 AM Hi, there is a gel test of the .357 magnum through a 16" inch carbine over on "The GunBlog". This maybe of some interest to some. There is also a training film from WW II on shooting enemy aircraft from a Flying Fortress. Very cool, regards, Mike

Malcolm

Posted - November 12 2017 : 6:30:41 PM While doing some genealogy on my direct blood kin, I came across a Federal indictment specifically mentioning my great-great-great grandfather as being the head of an organized group of horse thieves in Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas. Might be why he and his two brothers relocated to Texas as part of the original Texas 300” families. I do not have an affinity for horses, however, the thought of frontier justice for thieves in general, at times, is, rather appealing.

LittleBill

Posted - November 12 2017 : 1:52:52 PM

quote:Originally posted by Jim Higginbotham

quote:Originally posted by gw

an '86 Winchester is something I'm drawn to, maybe the best lever gun Winchester made, I had 45-70 made in 1921.

I had just moved into a new house out in the woods and didn't bother to put the rifle in fhe safe before I went to work.

a couple of idiots broke in and took every gun not locked up. I know who it was, the sherriff caught them some time later and they were carrying my Browning, the old Winchester was long gone though

I know full well that we cannot shoot people for taking stuff - but I'd sure be tempted to make an exception in that case Some stuff is just irreplaceable.

Mind you I said "tempted" - I think I could resist... but just think, don't know.

Jim H.

That was my reaction too when I read gw’s post. In the old West, they hung people for rustling cattle and stealing horses.... and that seemed to work out OK....

Sometime back, a guy came in with a neat old Hi Standard .22 semiauto, in an well-worn leather holster. Told me he had lost it in a home burglary something like 30 years ago. Just recently it had been found in a drug raid in Montana. After everything was done, he was given the opportunity to get it back. Said the gun and holster are still in pretty much the same shape they were when they were stolen.

To stay on topic, I had a couple of occasions with my little Marlin where the safety got moved from 'off' to 'on', I think from being laid on something behind the truck seat. It can happen. Ace

Chris Christian

Posted - November 12 2017 : 12:40:31 PM

quote:Originally posted by Jim Higginbotham

quote:Originally posted by gw

an '86 Winchester is something I'm drawn to, maybe the best lever gun Winchester made, I had 45-70 made in 1921.

I had just moved into a new house out in the woods and didn't bother to put the rifle in fhe safe before I went to work.

a couple of idiots broke in and took every gun not locked up. I know who it was, the sherriff caught them some time later and they were carrying my Browning, the old Winchester was long gone though

I know full well that we cannot shoot people for taking stuff - but I'd sure be tempted to make an exception in that case Some stuff is just irreplaceable.

Mind you I said "tempted" - I think I could resist... but just think, don't know.

Jim H.

The only thing I like about Islam and Sharia Law is the part where it says you cut off the right hand of thieves. Of course, their Public Defender should be present... in the interest of proper legal representation

Jim Higginbotham

Posted - November 12 2017 : 11:43:40 AM

quote:Originally posted by gw

an '86 Winchester is something I'm drawn to, maybe the best lever gun Winchester made, I had 45-70 made in 1921.

I had just moved into a new house out in the woods and didn't bother to put the rifle in fhe safe before I went to work.

a couple of idiots broke in and took every gun not locked up. I know who it was, the sherriff caught them some time later and they were carrying my Browning, the old Winchester was long gone though

I know full well that we cannot shoot people for taking stuff - but I'd sure be tempted to make an exception in that case Some stuff is just irreplaceable.

Mind you I said "tempted" - I think I could resist... but just think, don't know.

Jim H.

LittleBill

Posted - November 10 2017 : 6:16:34 PM Some folks have had the experience of discovering that their safety— which they had put on ‘fire’— had somehow gotten pushed over to ‘safe’, without their knowing it

Hence the practice of doing something to keep it on ‘fire’ all the time, or replacing it with a safety delete.

jlwilliams

Posted - November 10 2017 : 10:52:08 AM I came into a Marlin with the safety and there is a really easy fix for those of us raised on the old system. Just ignore the button. I leave it in the "fire" position and either carry chambered and half cocked or empty chamber. Easy and cheap. The gun isn't modified and the feature doesn't slow me down. The price is right too.

LittleBill

Posted - November 10 2017 : 07:55:26 AM

quote:Originally posted by Jim Higginbotham

I don't have a Marlin with the safety button but I understand from folks that do have them that there are two fairly easy fixes.

1: Buy a little "O" ring that fits tight over the safety and slide it down to the little groove with the red paint - after installation you cannot press the safety to put it in the "on" position - to me that is the most important thing, that it will not get put on inadvertently).

2: I'm told (and again I don't have one so I cannot confirm) that if you turn the rifle over there is a little set screw that holds the spring and detent for the safety in place - you take an Allen wrench and tighten that up and the safety won't move.

Of course neither of these methods remove the unsightly button if that is the problem then the substitute would be more elegant.

Once again, I'm not making a recommendation that one defeat a safety device, I'm just discussing how one might go about it if he decides it is the best course.

Jim H.

The safety delete is a steel cylinder that replaces the crossbolt safety and fits flush with the receiver on both sides. It has fake screw slots on either end, I suppose as a ‘disguise’. It’s held in place by the stock safety’s ball-and-set-screw.

Ace

Posted - November 09 2017 : 3:08:34 PM Another way to 'defeat' the safety on the Marlin is to decorate it with a leather lace and some colorful beads, or a feather or two. Saw one where a guy did this, he was going for an Indian look for some kind of reenactment outfit. Thinking it over, I decided that for a hunting use, the beads might click against the gun too much, but the feathers could be handy wind-direction detectors. Ace

Jim Higginbotham

Posted - November 09 2017 : 12:38:58 PM Thanks GW, I forgot the little screw is under the stock.

Yeah, I don't like em either - probably for the same reason.

Winchester did modify theirs to a safety on the tang which might be less obtrusive and more natural for someone used to a double barrel shotgun - but I don't like it either and don't own any of the lever guns with a safety - other than a Savage 99 and a Winchester model 88 (both are "hammerless").

My Browning BLR (the later version) has an interesting "safety" - the top of the hammer folds forward to form a block but when you cock the gun or work the lever it automatically disengages.

BTW, on our scouting trip last Tuesday I found an '86 in 38-56. That is a caliber I could like (45-70 necked down to .375) but they wanted $4,000 for it and it was a reblue - not quite willing to go that and I have a .33 WCF '86 made in 1907 anyway - I don't imagine a deer would know the difference and I don't live in bear country.

Jim.

Jim Higginbotham

Posted - November 09 2017 : 09:52:11 AM I don't have a Marlin with the safety button but I understand from folks that do have them that there are two fairly easy fixes.

1: Buy a little "O" ring that fits tight over the safety and slide it down to the little groove with the red paint - after installation you cannot press the safety to put it in the "on" position - to me that is the most important thing, that it will not get put on inadvertently).

2: I'm told (and again I don't have one so I cannot confirm) that if you turn the rifle over there is a little set screw that holds the spring and detent for the safety in place - you take an Allen wrench and tighten that up and the safety won't move.

Of course neither of these methods remove the unsightly button if that is the problem then the substitute would be more elegant.

Once again, I'm not making a recommendation that one defeat a safety device, I'm just discussing how one might go about it if he decides it is the best course.

Jim H.

LittleBill

Posted - November 08 2017 : 8:49:57 PM

quote:Originally posted by Pop Pop

Recently gave my Marlin 30 30 youth model to my 9 year old grandson. He has deer hunted, with his dad and friend,for the past 2 years. Had a good shot at a doe last year, but forgot to take the safety off the 20 Ga he was hunting with.

I realize you were talking about a shotgun safety, but speaking of safeties: Beartooth Mercantile in Montana Wyoming sells an inexpensive ($18) ‘safety delete’ for Marlin lever actions, that eliminates the crossbar safety, which Marlin only started adding in (I believe) 1984.

I realize the liability implications of “he deliberately removed the factory-installed safety device on his rifle!” But for those who preferred the old time-tested, tried-and-true setup.... there is a way to do it.